Fate To Fatal

by

The Breeders

Edit

Let me start by saying that I may be biased since I am a big fan of the Breeders. I am really happy to see that they have released something again within a year of Mountain Battles. I hope they tour the US again soon and come back to St Louis. We had a great time at their last show here.

Fate to Fatal - This song is very Lo-Fi. To me the chorus is a bit abrasive but the subtle melodies throughout the song are very catchy after a couple listens. I may have to listen to it more for the chorus to grow on me. The St Louis Roller Girls video that goes along with it is fun to watch also.

The Last Time - Although I do like this track so far it is a little hard to get used to a Breeders song with a male singer. That variety is one thing I do like about the extra songs in their past singles though.

Chances Are - This Bob Marley cover is beautiful using only pure vocals and guitar. I loved it after the first listen. It doesn't sound like reggae rather it has been stripped down to the purest melody and emotion of the song. It's worth buying the EP for this song alone.

Pinnacle Hollow - Very catchy and atmospheric. I liked it a lot after the first time and have been listening to it repeatedly.

I would probably give this 4.5 stars but and adding another half star for being cool enough to print their own limited edition vinyl (and put out videos of the printing process). I wish I could have gotten one before they sold out.

Overall this is an excellent release that I will be listening to many more times over.

If you are forgoing the vinyl for MP3s, at least buy this one at iTunes. This is a general rule when purchasing any MP3 from Amazon. Although Amazon states that "Songs are encoded at 256 kbps" [http://www.amazon.com/gp/dmusic/help/faq.html/ref=sv_dmusic_0] they actually use a variable bit rate which means sometimes it's 256 kbps, sometimes it can be, say, 195 kbps. If you care at all about audio quality, and prefer MP3s, at least purchase this from iTunes where the songs are all at a constant rate of 256 kbps. I was initially attracted to Amazon over itunes because of the lower pricing, but it appears it comes at a compromise of quality. In the case of this recording, Breeders "Fate to Fatal," all 4 songs are under 256 kbps and as low as 195 kbps.